The United Nations has officially declared that Gaza has entered a state of famine, marking the most alarming announcement since the start of Israel’s war on the enclave. Yet the key question remains: What has the UN actually done for Gaza so far?
Since the outbreak of the war, the organization has confined itself to issuing statements of condemnation, while withdrawing its missions and staff out of fear of Israeli military strikes. It has failed to impose any sanctions on Israel or exert real pressure to end its aggression. To this day, the UN has not succeeded in reaching a ceasefire agreement or halting the ongoing genocide and forced displacement of Palestinians.
A Long History of Failure
Since 1948, the UN has never imposed punitive measures on Israel despite its occupation of Palestinian and Arab lands. Instead, the international community seems to turn a blind eye, justifying the situation with parallels to settler-colonial states like the United States, Canada, and Australia—nations built upon the dispossession of their indigenous peoples.
Today, the same scenario unfolds in Palestine, where the Israeli occupation continues its expansion not only within Gaza and the West Bank but also extending its influence toward neighboring states such as Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt.
The Double Standards of Justice
The irony became more apparent last week when former U.S. President Donald Trump announced sanctions against the International Criminal Court after it ruled against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes. Yet, the UN remained silent, failing to defend the very principles of international justice it was founded upon.
After the Famine, What Next?
The reality is stark: Israel continues its crimes unchecked, while the UN issues statements devoid of real impact. The pressing question now is whether the international community will remain a mere spectator, while Palestinians continue to pay the price of empty words.
Perhaps Trump’s harsh words were not far from the truth when he described the UN as a “useless body.” Will the famine declaration mark a turning point for the UN to assume its responsibilities, or will Gaza remain abandoned to hunger and devastation?
